Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

PlanetSail - How is this British America's Cup challenge different?

by Matt Sheahan 27 Nov 2023 02:34 PST
How is this British America's Cup challenge different? © Planet Sail

'We feel on the back foot, but that's good for us....'

'A few things didn't go our way in the last Cup...it was a painful pill to swallow....'

'We're all concerned about the conditions in Barcelona....'

INEOS Britannia skipper Sir Ben Ainslie and Operations Director Dave Endean talk candidly and exclusively to Matt Sheahan about how this challenge differs from the last Cup attempt down in Auckland.

There is little doubt that on the technical front, the 37th America's Cup is the most challenging anyone can remember. Design teams are having to get their heads around having just one shot at the AC75 that will be used once the points start to count while taking their cues from the 12m development boat. Meanwhile, the crews hare having to get to grips with the AC40 as well as the SailGP F50. As a result it's a pretty complex Cup when it comes to team management too.

For those, including the British who have chosen to take part in SailGP as well as the racing in the AC40 one designs there is nowhere to hide when things go wrong.

The bottom line is that you need to be thick skinned as well as talented in this Cup, traits that clearly haven't escaped the attention of Ainslie and Endean.

Filmed during the Preliminary regatta in Vilanova it's a fascinating insight into just how complex this Cup cycle is along with how the British team is taking it on.

Watch more at www.youtube.com/c/planetsailonline

Related Articles

PlanetSail Episode 33: Atlantic Flight
Two major events at opposite ends of the scale in the Big Apple PlanetSail crosses 'the pond' to the Big Apple, New York where two major events at opposite ends of the scale were putting pressure on the status quo. Posted on 11 Jul
The 5 Minute Warning
Andy Rice & Matt Sheahan's 5min racing update PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan dials in from the Big Apple while Sailjuice's Andy Rice enjoys an unexpectedly sunny trip to Kiel Week in northern Germany. Posted on 1 Jul
The 5 Minute Warning
Andy Rice & Matt Sheahan's 5min racing update Sailjuice's Andy Rice is back from a sub-par performance at the Musto Skiff Nationals in Yorkshire, but PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan is flying high at the Open Class gliding National Championships in the Cotswolds, when the weather allows, that is. Posted on 20 Jun
PlanetSail video: Alinghi Dismasted
Matt Sheahan reports from a punchy day in Barcelona Midway through what Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team later said had been a very productive session, drama struck as the Swiss boat was dismasted shortly after a bear away. Matt Sheahan reports. Posted on 14 Jun
PlanetSail Episode 32: Smashing the Atlantic
The world the focus is drawing in on the IMOCA fleet With six months to go before the infamous single handed Vendée Globe Race around the world the focus is drawing in on the IMOCA fleet, both for spectators and the solo sailors themselves. Posted on 11 Jun
The 5 Minute Warning
Andy Rice & Matt Sheahan's 5min racing update While Sailjuice's Andy Rice is taking time out at home, PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan is down at Warsash Sailing Club getting ready for some evening racing on the Hamble River in his RS400 dinghy. Posted on 6 Jun
The 5 Minute Warning
Andy Rice & Matt Sheahan's 5min racing update Breaking recent trends, this week it's my turn to be on the move in glamorous locations, with Sailjuice's Andy Rice finally back home in Winchester. I report from Barcelona at the christening of the French America's Cup team, Orient Express Racing's AC75. Posted on 30 May
The 5 Minute Warning
Andy Rice & Matt Sheahan's 5min racing update This week, Sailjuice's Andy Rice calls up from Turkey to update PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan on the world of wingfoil racing. One of the big topics is lowest possible take-off windspeed for foiling. Posted on 24 May
The 5 Minute Warning
Andy Rice & Matt Sheahan's 5min racing update This week PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan tracks down Sailjuice's Andy Rice to a beach in Hyères, south of France, for the Formula Kite World Championships. It's the last big event for the kiteboarders before they make their Olympic debut in Marseille. Posted on 17 May
Is this the slipperiest AC75 boat in the fleet?
There's plenty to suggest American Magic's 'Patriot' is the most refined aerodynamic package so far There's plenty to suggest that American Magic's AC75 'Patriot' is the most refined aerodynamic package so far and if that's the case the team's new machine could be the lowest drag Cup boat out there. Posted on 10 May
Hyde Sails 2022 One Design FOOTERSelden 2020 - FOOTERRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER